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Jenna Bush and Henry Hagar's Western White House Wedding

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The Western White House wedding of First-Daughter Jenna Bush and fiancé Henry Hager

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May 10, 2008 will be a very busy day in Crawford. Yes, we vote that day. City and school elections will be held, but watch out for the limos and Suburbans on your way to the Crawford Volunteer Fire Station. There will also be a high falootin' "Western White House" wedding in town!
 
All the hoopla began last August 15th when former Karl Rove aide, Henry Hager asked President George W. Bush for his daughter Jenna's hand in marriage at Camp David behind the presidential cottage called Aspen.
 
THE GROOM
 
Henry Hager, 29, is the son of former Virginia Lt. Gov. John Hager. Henry is due to receive an MBA at the University of Virginia about a week after he and Jenna are married. It has been reported that he will be employed  by the energy conglomerate, Constellation.
 
Henry turns 30 on Friday and we understand a party has been planned for that evening.
 
 
THE PROPOSAL
 
We got a glimpse of how Hager nervously asked for permission to propose in and interview the President and First Lady Laura Bush gave at Camp David with ABC's "World News" anchor Charlie Gibson:

CHARLES GIBSON: And, and does the pressures of the presidency, and being under the klieg lights … does it bring a couple together or does it put strains on the marriage.

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: I think it really brings us together.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Yeah. I think so too. It depends on the strength of the marriage. A weak marriage'll be torn apart by the pressures. I would suspect. A strong marriage, gets stronger.

CHARLES GIBSON: And will there be a White House wedding? Not decided yet?

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: We haven't decided --

CHARLES GIBSON: Gonna work it out this weekend?

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Ah, well --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: [LAUGHS] Maybe, hopefully, maybe we can discuss it.

CHARLES GIBSON: Was it in the --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: She just came off the book tour so we haven't …

CHARLES GIBSON: Gotten there?

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: Made any plans --

CHARLES GIBSON: Was it in this room that he --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: No, it was behind, Aspen, the presidential cottage. Uh, Henry came, uh, earlier in the day and said I'd like to see you. And --

CHARLES GIBSON: And you knew.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: I knew, because I'd asked Jenna earlier that if Henry ever asks you to marry him, would you say yes. She said absolutely, I love him. And he came in and, and gave a very, uh …

CHARLES GIBSON: I heard you made him sweat --

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: -- adept presentation. [LAUGHS] Well, yeah, a slight bit, not a lot.

CHARLES GIBSON: How long did you make him sweat.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Not too long --

CHARLES GIBSON: 'Cause I have personal experience in this. [LAUGHTER]

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Uh, I, I, I, I --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: The way you made him sweat was say yes immediately before Henry had had the chance to -- he was all prepared. [LAUGHTER] What he wanted to say, and, George just said oh, okay.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: No, I actually said you got a deal.

CHARLES GIBSON: Oh.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Yeah. And, uh, and, he said well, he basically said -- He's probably gonna be furious at me for talking about it but he said, I've got some more -- if -- and it is my understanding -- I've got some more talking points, and I-- [LAUGHTER] He was a won -- he's a wonderful kid and … we're looking forward to --

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: We're happy.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Yeah.

 

 

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(AP)

THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
 
Henry and Jenna were spotted at the McLennan County Clerks office Wednesday applying for their marriage license. You must have the license 72 hours in advance of nuptuals, so they made it official just in time for Saturday.
 
 

THE RING
 
With the president and twin sister Barbara's (he asked her first) permission, Henry asked Jenna to marry him in August after an early morning hike to the top of Cadillac Mountain in Maine. Jenna tried to call her sister, whom Henry had already told he intended to pop the question that day, to tell her the good news, but her phone would not work in the mountains.
 
Henry sealed the deal by giving Jenna an engagement ring which is a Hager family heirloom. At sister Barbara's suggestion, the round diamond ring was reworked to include two deep blue sapphires.
 
 

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THE BRIDAL JEWELRY
 
Premier jewelers Nak Armstrong and Anthony Camargo of Anthony Nak in Austin have designed huge custom earrings for Jenna to wear to that
new stone alter that her Daddy had made for her. The earrings are described as chain encased minted iced quartz earrings with diamond details in 18-carat white gold and platinum. We hear Jenna likes to wear really big earrings and these fit her style perfectly!

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Anthony and Nak of Austin

Shortly after the Austin company opened for business, they gained national media attention when they were commissioned by the Bush family to design the Bush twins jewelry for Dubya's 2001 Inaugural Ball.
 
The president's daughters are not the only American royalty the designer duo have adorned... media queen Oprah Winfrey is one of their top clients.
 
 

 
THE DRESS
 
Oscar de la Renta will design the wedding dress. As Jenna Bush describes it in an upcoming article of Vogue magazine, it is "a 'very structured' organza ... gown, with embroidery and a bit of matte beading, that is 'simple and elegant' with a bit of a train but somehow 'still casual.' "
 
No sketches of the gown will be released before the wedding. The groom is a traditionalist and does not want to see the dress before his bride walks down the aisle.
 

HAIR
 
Jenna's regular hair stylist is flying into Crawford from DC to do her hair.
 
Dallas high-society hairdresser Kurt Anderson will be doing Laura's hair for the wedding. His salon remains voted one of the best in Dallas. Kurt is known for his classic does.

FLOWERS
 
The White House florists will be handling all the floral arrangements.
 

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THE WEDDING PARTY
 
New York Post's most famous gossip colonist Cindy Adams said that Jenna's twin sister, Barbara will be her only female attendant.
 
Jenna does have 14 women in her House Party which will be wearing Dallas designer and family friend Lela Rose dresses. Each crinkle silk chiffon dress in spring Texas wildflower inspired shades of lavender, blue, yellow or green, will include a silver sash which matches the long "moonstone-colored shimmery gown" with a low-cut back Maid of Honor dress Rose designed for Jenna's sister, Barbara. There will be seven different colors and seven different designs some of which are from her ready-to-wear line. Each dress will be knee-length to beat the Texas heat, and include the designer's signature rosettes.
 
Designer Lela Rose is a long time Bush friend, whose father, Rusty, was George W. Bush's business partner at the Texas Rangers Baseball Club in the days before Bush sought political office.
  

THE CEREMONY
 
The ceremony will take place outside in the country air at the Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch at 7:30 PM. According to a local source, two hundred chairs were set up at the wedding site and adjusted to see how they would fit and how it would look.
 
About half of the 200 guests are family members and the rest are close friends.
 
Laura Bush decided not to use a wedding planner.
 
The tent is now up and we understand that it is both air conditioned and heated. The temperature in Crawford for Saturday is predicted to be 91 degrees, so that air conditioner should really come in handy! It's carpeted too.
 
 
THE RECEPTION
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright, Deep in the Heart of Texas
 
According to a local source, there will be dinner and dancing under the stars and a large tent on the ranch grounds. A temporary dance floor will be installed and a live band will provide the two-stepin' music.
 
Dallas caterer Eddie Deen has been rumored to be the Bush's choice once again
to handle food. Eddie does bar-b-que big. I've personally tasted his culinary offerings... at a couple of August RNC fund raisers in Crawford, at both Bush and Rick Perry's Gubernatorial Inaugurations and in DC during Bush's 2005 Inauguration. (I liked his sauce so much that I stock it in my shop.)
 
When Eddie was asked to confirm his presence in Crawford Saturday, all he could do was to 'grin.'
 
I hear (not from Eddie) that there will also be a lunch served Saturday for guests at the ranch.
 
THE HONEYMOON
 
We hear a month in Europe, jaunting around from city to city.
 
 
THE NEW HOME
 
According to The Baltamore Sun, Henry Hager purchased a two-story, 128-year-old row house in a lively neighborhood south of downtown Baltamore in a neighborhood nicknamed Charm City, for $440,000 according to tax records.

Neighbors say the circa-1880 red brick row house with a wood-frame storefront window is believed to have been a dry cleaners and a candy shop in previous incarnations.

It's spacious by row-house standards, at nearly 2,000 square feet, and a peek through the first-floor windows reveals that it has exposed brick walls, a fireplace and hardwood floors. But the prime piece of this real estate is in back: An attached garage in a neighborhood where parking is at a premium.

"I would move in yesterday," said neighbor Jen Kearney, who pronounced the house in "fantastic shape." She was tickled to learn who had bought it, welcoming them and whatever fringe benefits they bring.

 
'FATHER OF THE BRIDE' (aka The PRESIDENT) COMMENTS ON THE WEDDING

 

When President Bush spoke to the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in March, he joked about planning the ceremony. “I had to face some very difficult spending decisions and I’ve had to conduct sensitive diplomacy. That’s called planning for a wedding,” he joked.

 

Bush added that his wife had him watch the comedy staring Waco native, Steve Martin,  ‘Father of the Bride.’

 

 

LAURA ON DUBYA'S GIFT TO JENNA (THE ALTER)
 
Local limestone which matches their ranch house with a cross design. This will stay on the ranch as a permenant reminder of the wedding.

LAURA BUSH ON HER OWN WEDDING PROPOSAL:
 
Laura Bush recently co-hosted NBC's Today Show and revealed how President Bush proposed to her:

JENNA TALKS ABOUT HER WEDDING
 
Jenna Bush talks to Ann Curry about her new childrens book, Read All About It!,  written with her mother, her upcoming wedding and fiancé Henry Hager:

JENNA TALKS ABOUT HENRY'S PROPOSAL AND HER SISTER'S INVOLVEMENT
 
Jenna and sister Barbara talk to ther mother, Laura and Ann Curry about being twins and talk about the day Henry Hagar proposed and the upcoming Crawford wedding:

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DIDN'T GET YOUR INVITATION EITHER?
 
I guess they were all lost in the mail!
 
It is wonderful that Jenna wants a private wedding, so we decided to have our own little party celebrating Jenna and Henry's wedding at The Coffee Shop in McGregor (just minutes from downtown Crawford). We will have a specially designed wedding cake which will be cut between 5:30 and 6:00 PM the evening of May 10 and served as a complimentary dessert with your meal. Who knows... we might even pop a 'Father of the Bride' movie in the DVD player!
 
A presidential wedding is an extremely rare occurrence and worthy of the people in our country to pause from the daily happenings of the world and rejoice!
 
Congratulations Henry & Jenna!

 

Jenna Bush's Wedding Gown OptionsFrom Tickled Pink Brides:

That Jenna Bush is one lucky bride-to-be.  Her mother, Laura Bush, commissioned 12 top fashion designers to submit sketches of original wedding gown designs that Jenna could choose from for her May 10, 2008 wedding.  Here's who entered the running:
1. Vera Wang
2. J. Mendel
3. Arnold Scaasi
4. Carlos Miele
5. Amsale
6. Carmen Marc Valvo
7. Angel Sanchez
8. Badgley Mischka
9. Nicole Miller
10. Lela Rose
11. Marc Bouwer
12. Oscar de la Renta

The wedding will take place at the Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.  Since the wedding is only six weeks away, she must have chosen her gown and is probably working on alterations.  Do you know which gown Jenna chose?

You are welcome to  sign the Jenna Bush wedding guestbook and leave a message for the new couple.

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Looking for a memento of their wedding?
 
Exclusive Jenna & Henry's Western
White House Wedding Commemorative Coffee Mugs, Texas Longhorn, Mouse Pad, Magnets & Buttons ONLY Available at Western White House Gifts inside The Coffee Shop in McGregor... just 6 miles from the light in Crawford.
 

 
 
LINKS TO RELATED ARTICLES:

Bush gets personal with public 5/3/2008 The Washington Times

White House Wedding Not For Me 4/22/08 PEOPLE / MSNBC

The Hoedown in Crawford 4/21/2008 New York Times

Jenna Bush's Boca Raton Bachelorette Weekend 2/27/08 People Magazine

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